More Swiss jobs to be relocated abroad; Geneva tenants could get easier access to property ownership; and other news in our Monday roundup.
One more Swiss company is relocating its jobs abroad
Only days after an industrial company IHI Bernex AG announced that it would eliminate most posts at its Olten (Solothurn) site, relocating 35 of 42 jobs to the Netherlands, another Swiss company, Bernina, made a similar announcement.
Due to the “economic burden” caused by the US tariffs, the sewing machine manufacturer, which generates about three-quarters of its sales in the United States, will be closing its plant in in Steckborn (Thurgau) and moving its production to Thailand.
Forty jobs will be cut in the process.
READ ALSO: All the job cuts announced in Switzerland for 2026
Geneva tenants could get easier access to property ownership
The canton’s tenants’ association (ASLOCA) has collected enough signatures to launch a referendum that would, if approved, allow tenants to have priority over other potential buyers to purchase a house ot apartment in which they currently live.
The only condition to be fulfilled is that the tenant must have occupied the property for at least three years and commit to remaining there for five years.
The date for this vote has not yet been set.
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Unemployment in Switzerland rose slightly at the start of 2026
At the end of January, 152,280 people were registered as unemployed in the regional employment centres across Switzerland, as reported by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) on Friday.
This was 5.005 people, or 3.4 percent, more than in December 2024, and over 12 percent more than in January 2025.
But there is good news as well: At the same time, the number of job vacancies has also increased compared to December, rising by a significant 12,964 (36 percent) to 48,904.
READ MORE: What you need to know about the 225,000 job vacancies in Switzerland
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UBS warns of an increased risk of a real estate bubble in Switzerland
According to the new UBS Swiss Real Estate Bubble Index, the risk of a housing bubble in Switzerland – which happens when home prices rise significantly over a short period, often faster than income growth – has increased significantly.
The bank pointed out that while housing prices have continued to rise, household incomes have declined.
Concretely, the index jumped from 0.27 points in the third quarter of 2025 to 0.48 points in the last three months of the of the year.
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